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BizTimes Milwaukee (ISSN 1095-936X & USPS # 017813) Volume 25, Number 11, September 2, 2019 – September 15, 2019. BizTimes Milwaukee is published bi-weekly, except monthly in January, July and December by BizTimes Media LLC at 126 N. Jefferson St., Suite 403, Milwaukee, WI 53202-6120, USA. Basic annual subscription rate is $42. Single copy price is $3.25. Back issues are $5 each. Periodicals postage paid at Milwaukee, WI and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: Send address corrections to BizTimes Milwaukee, 126 N. Jefferson St., Suite 403, Milwaukee, WI 53202-6120. Entire contents copyright 2019 by BizTimes Media LLC. All rights reserved.
Contents
4 Leading Edge 4 NOW BY THE NUMBERS 5 BEHIND THE SCENES 6 QUOTE UNQUOTE 7 FRESH DIGS 8 BIZ POLL WHO’S ON THE BOARD? ON MY NIGHTSTAND 9 JUMP START
10 Biz News 10 Q&A WITH DAVID KOHLER 13 THE INTERVIEW
14 Real Estate 33 Strategies 33 MANAGEMENT Paul Schulls
COVER STORY
16
34 NEGOTIATION Christine McMahon
Fiserv Forum brings Milwaukee together Arena’s first year a smashing success
Special Report
38 Biz Connections 38 NONPROFIT NEWS 40 GLANCE AT YESTERYEAR COMMENTARY 41 AROUND TOWN 42 MY TOUGHEST CHALLENGE
26 Banking & Finance; Leadership Development Coverage includes reports on two new loan programs aimed at bringing investment to Milwaukee and Waukesha County, the expansion of area credit unions, and how Sussex IM’s new leadership structure helps it sustain growth.
WE ARE MARQUETTE PROUD OFFICIAL BANKING PARTNER OF We cheer “Ring out ahoya” and we fly our blue and gold with pride. That’s because Milwaukee is our home, too; and we always root for our local university. As Marquette’s Official Banking Partner, we’re here with the financial tools and solutions the school community counts on. It’s just one of the ways we support the places and people who make Milwaukee great.
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biztimes.com / 3
Leading Edge
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NOW
ARTSMARKET, INC.
A rendering of the reimagined Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory campus.
Private money needed in new $66 million plan to revitalize the Mitchell Park Domes By Lauren Anderson, staff writer A new business plan calls for a $66 million capital investment over the next 10 years to restore the Mitchell Park Domes, add new amenities and transform the campus into an urban botanical park. The Domes Task Force recently
endorsed the plan from Montana-based consulting firm ArtsMarket, Inc., which includes restoring the aging Domes, expanding programming, and adding several amenities to Mitchell Park. To move forward, the proposal will need Mil-
BY THE NUMBERS 2019 Wisconsin State Fair attracted
1,130,572 a new attendance record for the event. 4 / BizTimes Milwaukee SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
waukee County Board approval. Under the business plan, a host of new features would be added to the park, including: a welcome center, retail, education and research hub; a farm-to-table restaurant; a new events pavilion; outdoor and indoor food service; an improved amphitheater; clean and fresh pond circulation and a reflecting pool at Mitchell Park; and outdoor and indoor gardens. Funding for the plan would come from public and private sources, including $13.5 million raised through a private sector campaign; another $13.5 million from Milwaukee County; $26 million from historic tax credits; and $12 million from opportunity zone funds. The report called the proposed financing strategy “challenging,” but said it reflects the type of private-public investment-based model that other municipalities have successfully used in restoring their parks and assets. “The planning study of traditional prospective donors suggests that some will join in, but that there is skepticism of the county’s will and capacity to complete this project and adopt this plan,” the report said. Following the initial 10-year capital investment, the plan estimates a more than $5 million annual budget. In addition to the new features,
the proposal envisions the Domes and Mitchell Park becoming a center for workforce training in horticulture, urban agriculture and culinary arts, with programs serving teens and professionals. When fully implemented in 2027, the park would be an “economic hub” for the Clarke Square neighborhood, supporting 300 jobs, the report said. The plan proposes partnering with the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Office for Community Engagement on a new Center for Urban Ag and Health that would house research and gardens on Mitchell Park’s campus. The report notes that the firm is in discussions with the Medical College about “bringing their large federal and other research grants to the table” to help fund the project. The business plan also calls for the creation of a new nonprofit entity, the Mitchell Park and Domes Conservancy, that would partner with Milwaukee County to operate the park. The report follows a study released last year by ConsultEcon and HGA that presented several options for the future of the Domes, ranging from doing nothing to tearing the Domes down to re-envisioning the Domes as a destination education, conservation and recreation attraction. n
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BEHIND THE SCENES
BEHIND THE SCENES JAKE HILL PHOTOGRAPHY
Zócalo Food Park By Maredithe Meyer, staff writer
A
once-vacant 7,000-square-foot lot in Walker’s Point was recently transformed into Milwaukee’s first food truck park. Zócalo Food Park opened in July at 636 S. Sixth St. It includes six local vendors: Bowl Cut, a new Asian rice bowl concept; Fontelle’s, a burger-and-fry eatery; Mazorca LLC, a taco truck that first opened in Walker’s Point in 2017; Scratch Ice Cream, a local ice cream producer that operates a vendor stand at Crossroads Collective food hall on Milwaukee’s East Side; and Ruby’s Bagels, a new scratch-made bagel concept. Ruby’s Bagels is the first participant in Zócalo’s Incubator Food Truck Program, which aims to support local food industry startups as they scale their business. “If someone has an idea for a concept that they want to prove out, a trailer or a truck is a really great way to see if that works,” said real estate developer Sean Phelan, who operates the park with Jesús González. n
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Zócalo Food Park is located in a neighborhood that has experienced growth and revitalization over the past few years.
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Zócalo’s 15 staff members, including Esteban Rivera, are responsible for maintaining the grounds.
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As operators, Phelan and González said they want to build a culture of belonging for the park’s employees, vendors and customers.
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The property’s existing two-story building was fully renovated and opened in mid-August as the park’s tavern.
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Fontelle’s is a new concept from the creators of Milwaukee-based FreshFin Poké.
biztimes.com / 5
Leading Edge
BIZTIMES MEDIA – Like us
“ QUOTE
unQUOTE
L I Z G I L B E RT
”
P R E S I D E N T, M I L W A U K E E 2 0 2 0 H O S T C O M M I T T E E Liz Gilbert, president of the Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee, spoke about the Democratic National Convention’s expected impact on area businesses during a recent Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce event. n
“You will never hear the host committee talk about beating Donald Trump or turning Wisconsin blue. We want lots of people with lots of different beliefs because we know that the economic impact here sees no color other than green.”
“When you go into a community, you have to do a serious listening tour. And that’s really important because you want to know what matters on the ground. I could come in and say ‘here are the things that I think should be the priorities,’ but that’s not how it works … it has to be about partnerships and collaborations.”
“We love feedback. We are not some organization that is going to be sitting on the top floor of some building and not engaging. When I say you will see us in your bars and in your gyms, hopefully, you will see that we are very much on the ground asking for advice.”
“For those who might not be that excited about the convention, I don’t think people are thinking creatively enough on how to use this convention … for talent recruitment and retention, to rebrand a company, to amplify their social media following. The opportunities are endless.”
“If we are not doing what we said we are going to do, I hope you will hold us accountable.”
“It will be very important to us as a host committee to show and share our values every single day we are here… Every decision we make is going to be super intentional. Every dollar we spend is going to be very, very intentional.”
6 / BizTimes Milwaukee SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
LILA ARYAN PHOTOGRAPHY
FRESH DIGS
JP CULLEN MILWAUKEE OFFICE OW N E R / DE V E LOPE R : The Alexander Co. A RC H I T E C T: The Alexander Co. C ON T R AC TOR : JP Cullen C O S T S : Undisclosed Y E A R C OM PL E T E D : 2018
J.P. CULLEN & SONS INC. was not only the contractor on the $51 million Milwaukee Fortress redevelopment project, it was also the building’s first commercial tenant. Last year, the Janesville-based company moved its regional offices from Brookfield to the historic building at 104 E. Pleasant St. Shannon Metoxen, incoming vice president of JP Cullen’s Milwaukee division, said location was a big factor in choosing to move. “One of the big things that we really wanted to do when we were looking for places to move was we felt like we needed to be in the downtown vicinity and really start to become known as a Milwaukee contractor,” Metoxen said. Plus, at roughly 12,000 square feet, the new office more than doubles
the size J.P. Cullen’s former space. The office is filled with elements of the historic building, including the original hardwood floors and glass window panes, three fireplaces, re-upholstered original doors and an old vault that sits behind the front desk. The contractor even kept components of the old elevator system and put them on display throughout the office. The new office also comes with modern and trendy elements, such as a wall made of white board material and an expansive break room complete with restaurant boothstyle seating and a pool table. The six-story Fortress building also includes 132 apartments and additional ground-level commercial space. n – Alex Zank biztimes.com / 7
Leading Edge BIZ POLL
@BIZTIMESMEDIA – Real-time news
WHO’S ON THE BOARD Who’s on the Board?
A recent survey of BizTimes.com readers.
Do you support the $66 million plan, using public and private funds, to rejuvenate the Mitchell Park Domes?
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YES:
NO:
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75%
25%
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NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE CO.
Share your opinion! Visit biztimes.com/bizpoll to cast your vote in the next Biz Poll.
•
• John Balboni, retired senior vice president and chief information officer for International Paper Co. • Nicholas Brathwaite, co-founder and partner of Riverwood Capital • David Drury, founding partner at WING Capital Group • P. Russell Hardin, president of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation • Hans Helmerich, chairman of Helmerich & Payne Inc. • Dale Jones, chief executive offi-
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cer and president of Diversified Search LLC David Lubar, president and CEO of Lubar & Co. Sheila Marcelo, founder, chairwoman and CEO of Care.com Jaime Montemayor, former senior VP and chief information officer of PepsiCo Americas Foods Anne Paradis, retired CEO of MicroTek Inc. John Schlifske, chairman, president and CEO of Northwestern Mutual Mary Ellen Stanek, managing director and director of asset management for Robert W. Baird & Co. S. Scott Voynich, managing partner of Robinson, Grimes & Company PC Ralph Weber, founding member of Gass Weber Mullins LLC Benjamin Wilson, chairman of Beveridge & Diamond PC Juan Zarate, chairman and co-founder of Financial Integrity Network
on my nightstand... PHIL SCHNEIDER President Schneider Strategy Consulting LLC
‘Crossing to Safety’ By Wallace Stegner
PHIL SCHNEIDER, president of Milwaukee-based Schneider Strategy Consulting, picked up “Crossing to Safety” by Wallace Stegner at Renaissance Books in the airport during a recent business trip. Schneider had previously read Stegner’s “Collected Stories” and was drawn to his style. “I am thoroughly enjoying the prose of a witty and literate writer and his well-crafted stories,” he said. Published in 1987, “Crossing to 8 / BizTimes Milwaukee SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
Safety” is a semi-autobiographical novel that takes the reader through a series of flashbacks from the life of main character Larry Morgan, spanning from his experience as a young professor during the Great Depression in Madison to the final stages of his life. “Summer, for me, is a time for fiction and luxuriating with a well written novel by a master author,” Schneider said. “Stegner is such an author, and this novel does not disappoint.” n
LOCATION: Milwaukee
JAKE HILL PHOTOGRAPHY
WELLNESSSCRIPT LLC FOUNDERS: Tiffany Mullen and Alex Yampolsky FOUNDED: July 2018 PRODUCT/SERVICE: Full-service platform for functional medicine WEBSITE: wellnessscript.com EMPLOYEES: 3 GOAL: Create the largest virtual medical group specializing in functional medicine EXPERIENCE: 31 years of combined experience
Alex Yampolsky & Tiffany Mullen
WellnessScript building nontraditional virtual medical group By Alex Zank, staff writer
DR. TIFFANY MULLEN has gotten a good look at the state of health care, both as a physician and as a patient at an early age. Mullen, along with Alex Yampolsky, who has more than a decade of experience as a pharmacist, founded WellnessScript just over a year ago to virtually connect patients with clinicians who practice functional medicine, an alternative approach to traditional medicine. The company also provides customized supplement and medication packets and home-based testing kits, based on physician recommendations. In Mullen’s view, transactional relationships and 15-minute patient visits characterize traditional medicine. Doctors often write prescriptions to cover up symptoms without addressing the root causes of a patient’s ailments, Mullen said. “What we do in functional medicine is we dive deep under patients’ symptoms looking for root causes,” Mullen said. “So, once we’re able to establish that root cause, we can highly personalize a patient’s treatment. For example, my reason for fatigue might be very different than your reason for fatigue.” WellnessScript is developing its own telemedicine-based electronic heath record platform using video conferencing and other tools, because existing options lack the functionality Mullen
and Yampolsky needed. Using a virtual network removes geographical barriers for both patients and physicians, Yampolsky said, noting more functional medicine clinicians are located on the coasts and many clinics have long waitlists. “In Tiffany’s practice, people would travel across the state to see her, if not across state lines,” he said. “There’s just a shortage of people.” During its first year, WellnessScript tested market demand, created an inexpensive prototype and began establishing operations, including a licensed pharmacy. The company also raised $900,000 from investors and has another $200,000 committed. “(We) were able to attract quite a few patients and physicians right out of the gate,” Mullen said. “So, we clearly identified that we had product market fit pretty early, and at that point felt as though we could invest in our platform development.” WellnessScript is focusing on bringing more patients and physicians onto the platform and establishing a good operational foundation. Yampolsky added a primary goal is to ensure people do not feel on their own when dealing with health issues. “We’re really focused on building and maintaining that relationship,” he said. n biztimes.com / 9
JAKE HILL PHOTOGRAPHY
BizNews FEATURE STORY
David Kohler at Whistling Straits.
David Kohler: Ryder Cup will put Wisconsin ‘on the world stage’ As the countdown to the 2020 Ryder Cup nears one year, planning and preparation are well underway at Whistling Straits near Sheboygan. It will be the fifth professional golf event to be hosted at the Kohler Co. course and the first time the biennial men’s golf competition between teams from Europe and the U.S. is held in Wisconsin. Kohler Co. chief executive officer David Kohler recently hosted several journalists at Whistling Straits to discuss the event’s planning process and impact. BizTimes Milwaukee reporter Maredithe Meyer was among the journalists participating in the Q&A. Here is a transcript of portions of the discussion:
you just gauge volunteers, we’ve had 30,000 people register to be volunteers for 4,000 spots. But the general interest we’ve had already in registration and in corporate sales has been exceptionally strong, which is expected because if you look at the history of our major championships here and the PGA championships, particularly the one in 2004 and 2015 broke records in attendance.”
What’s the expected economic impact? “WE WANTED to get the message out to the state because it’s such an epic event. It’s a once in a lifetime for the state of Wisconsin. We’re never going to see probably in our lifetime the Ryder Cup back in the state. And if 10 / BizTimes Milwaukee SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
you think about it, last year in Paris, next year in little Kohler, Wisconsin and then Rome and New York— we’re in the big leagues here as a state on the world stage. “And the interest we’ve had has been pretty incredible. If
“We estimate the economic impact to be about $135 million. And if you think about it, this event will be viewed by 500 million households around the world, 27 hours of news coverage, and a significant impact on the state and local community. All things com-
bined are quite significant… “…The carry-over of how that benefits the state in the following two, three, five years in terms of people wanting to come to the state and play golf, I think, is significant.”
How far do you expect the hotel impact to reach? “All the way from Milwaukee to Green Bay, west and everything in this corridor will be utilized. And given the arteries we have with I-43 and west on Highway 23, we actually have pretty good flow into the venue, whether you’re coming from the north or from the south. “And then there’s a service that’s being utilized by the PGA of America and the Ryder Cup for local residents who want to rent their
homes (Rent Like a Champion). So there will also be a rental home market in the area that people will be leveraging.”
What infrastructure is needed to host this event? “Significant build out. There will be a million square feet of temporary structure… What we’re focused on and passionate about is creating that incredible experience for everyone, whether you’re a caddy, a player, a corporate hospitality customer, or a fan with a normal daily pass or weekly pass. We want to make sure it’s an incredible experience from the moment you arrive to the moment you leave, so it’s focusing on all the details, from food and beverage to what their experience is moving around the course.”
What value does the Ryder Cup have to the Kohler Co.?
“First of all, to me, it’s a great capstone on my father’s contribution to the game of golf, the state of Wisconsin to Kohler Co. in establishing the golf business. From a golf course standpoint, as we said, it’s the pinnacle of any event you could host on your golf course, so it gives great credentials there. Third is the customer benefit. We, like other companies that are clients using corporate chalets, will bring hundreds of customers here from all over the world to enjoy the event and work with us. It’s one of the most sought after events for corporate clients to bring customers to because it’s so unique. We’re going to leverage that very highly.”
Why has Wisconsin become a golf destination? “First of all, I think we owe a lot of credit and respect and acknowledgement to my father, Herb
Kohler (executive chairman of the Kohler Co.). He and (golf course designer) Pete Dye worked together to build Blackwolf Run and then continued to build and expand truly unique destination golf courses and championship courses in the state of Wisconsin. Building the four courses and maintaining that single level of quality was a very bold move in rural Wisconsin— to build courses that are now top courses in the world. All those courses are in the top 60 public courses in the country and Kohler is a worldwide golf destination…” “…But it was that attention to really build something unique and carry that through that started it all. It attracted the interest of the PGA of America and it was really their strong commitment that made it possible with the 2004, 2010, 2015 PGA Championships and Ryder Cup.” “It was also a bold move for the
PGA of America to create that type of commitment over a period of time to a new course. But that combination was really the beginning and then it captured the interest of other investors, and thus we see Erin Hills and then Sand Valley. Erin Hills has attracted golfers and also a major. I really credit Herb and the work of the teams throughout the years to build Kohler as a golf destination, making Wisconsin a golf destination.”
How will Whistling Straits continue to attract large-scale tournaments? “With the move of the PGA Championship earlier this year to May, it’s obviously more complicated for this venue to host a major that early in the year relative to growth and development of the golf course.” “But we’re evaluating where we want to go, honestly. We think that the pedigree or the credentials that
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BizNews
Whistling Straits has garnered over the years with four men’s majors, the U.S. Senior Open as well as the Ryder Cup, there’s not a whole lot more that you can do to cap that so we are trying to think about what we want to do. The course does not need any more credentials.”
JAKE HILL PHOTOGRAPHY
Will you try to land a U.S. Open?
David Kohler
“We are evaluating all options— in terms of what events would make sense here— with the PGA of America, the PGA Tour, USGA, all the organizations, and just being open-minded. We don’t have an urgency to commit to anything because of what we’ve accomplished already, so it’s really about finding the right fit for our organization over time. And we’ve got plenty of things in the works: continuing to work on the fifth golf course and other elements to continue to improve all the amenities and unique features of Kohler as a golf destination.”
What’s the latest news on the fifth course (proposed near Kohler-Andrae State Park)? “Nothing dramatically new. We continue to be working through the permitting process and it’s just been slow and methodical with some of the challenges that have come up with the organizations … We definitely want to continue to do it when all the appropriate approvals are met.”
Do you remain hopeful about the approval process? “One hundred percent. We are committed to doing it. We think it will be tremendous for the state as well as economic impact, and good for the game of golf. We are passionate environmental stewards so we’d be committed to doing it in the right way.” See more from the roundtable at biztimes.com. n
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12 / BizTimes Milwaukee SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
the
Interview
JACOB MRUGACZ was named president of Wolf Paving in January after the
business was acquired by William J. Kennedy Holding Co, an affiliate of Janesvillebased Rock Road Co. Inc., in late 2018. Mrugacz recently talked with BizTimes associate editor Arthur Thomas about the paving industry and taking over a family business. Eight months in now, what are you working on? “The good thing that I stepped into is this was a successful company. It wasn’t sold at a fire sale where the owners needed cash for something. It was good that (we) were stepping into a successful situation. … We had a lot of good people, they’re doing well. We’re refining some things. I kind of tell our people, even if you hadn’t had new ownership, you’d be taking a hard look at some things anyway; it’s just good business and that’s what you’ve been doing over the years.”
What made this an attractive position? “It’s almost an overly simplistic way to say it, but I was a little boy who grew up playing with trucks in the dirt and now I kind of get to go do that for real life, right? There’s something about being able to drive down a road after your company constructed it. It’s so tangible to easily touch and feel ... I also knew the family that had bought this company very well and was very attracted to working for them. I respected both their personal and their professional character a lot.”
What is the current state of industry demand? “I think it’s very strong. I think we hear the same thing from our competitors. It’s not like we’re overbooked or anything like that; we can always take a little bit more. We’re still bidding, there’s still good competition out there.”
What’s it like taking over a family company?
What challenges are there going forward? “… For me personally, I actually moved from northern Illinois to come up here and take this job, so I moved the family and, for me, literally every relationship was new. It’s only a couple hours away but all the suppliers, all the manufacturers, all the competitors, all the employees were all brand new relationships, so that’s taken a lot of people time to get up to speed and get there. ”
You just have to work on those on a daily basis? “Starting in winter was a good thing because we weren’t up and running all the way yet, so I got to develop some of those relationships before the gears were turning ... it does take some time. It’s not like it’s done yet by any means.” n
LILA ARYAN PHOTOGRAPHY
“That family-owned feel of a company is not necessarily because of the last name. They did a good job here. People felt loyal to the previous owners, probably even after the sale. The one part I’ll tell you is that building that culture is important no matter what company you have and what last name is on the president’s door and the owner’s name, if you will. … That family atmosphere is really feeling like your company cares about you, your fellow employee cares about you and that you have some sort of purpose in what you do. I think we’ve been able to get through that. It was an interesting first couple months. Everyone is always asking what’s going to go on, when are you going to change stuff, are you going to do layoffs, all that sort of stuff, but we’ve been able to work through that and for us there’s nothing better than actually getting out and doing some paving work.”
Jacob Mrugacz President, Wolf Paving 612 N. Sawyer Road, Oconomowoc Employees: 150 Wolfpaving.com biztimes.com / 13
Real Estate
REAL ESTATE WEEKLY – The week’s most significant real estate news → biztimes.com/subscribe
KOHLER CO.
The “Model 9—Colonial” pre-approved home plan for The Clearings, Kohler Co.’s new subdivision in the village of Kohler. It is 2,800 square feet with four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms.
Seeing strong demand, Kohler Co. developing first new subdivision in a decade
KOHLER CO. began selling lots for The Clearings subdivision this summer, marking the first time in more than a decade the village of Kohler-based company has offered residential lots for sale. Company officials say the lots are being offered now due to robust demand for new housing. Seventy-five lots, ranging from 0.3-1.1 acres each, make up the first phase of the subdivision located on the west side of Woodland Road, between Forest and Woodlake roads in the village of Kohler. Renee Suscha, manager of Kohler Co.-owned Village Realty & Development, said the available lots represent the first of four phases, which altogether total 188 acres in the village. The lots are priced between $69,000 and $257,000. Village Realty sells lots for Kohler Co., but still acts as a full-service real estate firm. For several years, the village has seen higher demand from prospective homeowners than what is available for sale, and the trend is only moving upward, Suscha said. She said multiple listing service data shows there are typically few-
JON ELLIOT OF MKE DRONES LLC
BIRD’S EYE VIEW: S O LVAY C O K E S I T E , F U T U R E H O M E O F KO M AT S U M I N I N G
14 / BizTimes Milwaukee SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
Work is well underway in preparation for Komatsu Mining Corp.’s new headquarters and manufacturing facility in Milwaukee’s Harbor District. Crews are cleaning up the roughly 46-acre We Energies-owned Solvay Coke site at 311 E. Greenfield Ave., where Komatsu’s manufacturing facility will be constructed. An office and museum will also be built on a 13.5-acre city-owned site. Brendan Conway, a We Energies spokesman, said the cleanup work on the Solvay Coke site involves excavation of possible contaminated soil and material containing asbestos, removal of piping and installation of a groundwater monitoring well network. The parcel was home to many companies over the past century, including two We Energies-owned utilities, Wisconsin Gas and Wisconsin Electric, Conway said. We Energies bought the site in 2017 to minimize risks associated with the contaminated parcel. We Energies hopes to have substantial remediation work done by the end of the year and turn over the site to Komatsu in the first quarter of 2020, he said.
er than 10 homes available in the village. And once those houses are brought to market, they’re usually sold quickly. “When the demand is higher than the inventory, it’s a good indicator that it would be the time to build a new subdivision,” she said. “That’s exactly where we’ve been the last couple of years.” In the first three weeks that The Clearings lots were available to purchase, nearly 15% of them were sold, said Suscha. What’s more, the company had a list of more than 100 people waiting for their next opportunity to buy new lots in the village. Suscha said all those on the list have been contacted, with some opting to wait for future phases and others expressing interest in phase one. Those looking to buy now are largely still gathering information and planning what they want to do before putting in an offer on a lot, she said. Much like the rest of the village, the new subdivision is meant to complement the existing buildings and neighborhoods in the area. Work on necessary infrastructure is already underway, Suscha said. The subdivision, set amongst woodlands, will feature tree-lined streets with sidewalks on both sides, “charming” light poles and a neighborhood park, she said. “We want this to blend in with the rest of the community in the village of Kohler,” she said. In fact, the village was one of the first planned communities in the U.S., according to Kohler Co. The village of just over 2,000 residents is home to the Kohler Co. headquarters and Destination Kohler, a five-diamond resort with the century-old American Club at its center. Kohler Co. was able to plan out the village because it owned much of the land. And over the past century it has been molded after the idea of a garden community – a vision that includes ample green space, specific design guidelines to promote uniformity and an attention to detail with landscaping,
Suscha said. “So, if you drive through Kohler, you’ll just be impressed with the landscape that you find throughout the entire village,” she said. Angela Miller, associate manager of archives and heritage communications with Kohler Co., said when John Michael Kohler first moved the company outside of Sheboygan, he wanted to ensure there was a thoughtful plan in place, with green space and room for the company to grow. When he died, his son Walter Kohler Sr. took over those plans, and visited Europe with architect Richard Philipp to learn about garden communities. The company took those ideas and, working with the Olmsted Brothers firm, laid out a 50-year master plan in 1917 that called for a garden community at the factory gate. A second 50-year plan was developed in consultation with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in 1977, 10 years after the first plan had finished. Out of that second master plan came the renovation of the American Club into the hotel it is today, Miller said. The historic building once provided housing to migrant workers, though by 1940 it no longer served its original purpose. Renovations to the building began in 1979, with the American Club opening in December 1981. n
UGLY BUILDING: F O R M E R M I LWAU K E E B L AC K S M I T H B U I L D I N G The 72-year-old building at 518-20 E. Erie St. is where Milwaukee Blacksmith was located before moving to Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood in 2017. It was purchased later that year by an affiliate of Milwaukee-based Joseph Property Development LLC. Robert Joseph, founder of Joseph Property Development, owns both that 7,950-square-foot building and the one next door, at 538 E. Erie St., and is planning a new apartment development there. Just over two years later, little has changed at the site. Joseph told BizTimes he still plans to move forward with the development, but at the moment his group is focused on other projects. He agreed the building is ugly and noted he purchased the property for the land underneath, not the building itself. “We’re going to put it out of its misery one of these days and (the project) is going to be spectacular,” he said.
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STORY COVER
Crowd outside of Fiserv Forum during the Eastern Conference Finals. 16 / BizTimes Milwaukee SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
TNT’s Inside the NBA show at Firserv Forum.
s g n i r b r e m h t u e r g o F o t v r e e e s k i u F a w l i M f ir s t y e s ’ a n e r A
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BY MAREDITHE MEYER, staff writer
hen the Milwaukee Bucks won Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals on May 15, thousands gathered in downtown Milwaukee to celebrate. Those who tuned in to TNT’s live coverage witnessed a scene in Milwaukee that just a year earlier would have been unrecognizable here. From an aerial view, crowds completely covered the brightly illuminated plaza outside Fiserv Forum, introducing basketball fans across the country to the Deer District and the city’s new arena. “This is incredible,” TNT commentator Charles Barkley said as cheering fans, dressed in No. 34 jerseys and Bucks gear, swarmed the set of the network’s post-game show. Shaquille O’Neal likened it to being on stage at a rap concert. For local sports fans, that level of national exposure — and the possibility of a Bucks’ championship appearance — long seemed like something only other cities enjoyed. After all, the Bucks went almost two decades without making the conference finals or even winning a playoff series. Despite eventually losing to the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bucks, led by NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Fiserv Forum brought new life to downtown Milwaukee during the $524 million arena’s first year. The Bucks’ playoff run was the pinnacle for the hugely successful first year of Fiserv Forum. A total of 1.5 million people have come through the arena’s doors since it opened in August 2018. It ranked among the top 25 North American venues in concert ticket sales, according to Pollstar. Marquette University’s men’s basketball team saw a 26% year-over-year increase in average game attendance, the second-highest increase among the NCAA’s Division 1 schools. Fiserv Forum’s first year also brought the completion of the adjacent public plaza and Entertainment Block – the complementary development outside the arena that includes Milwaukee-based Good City Brewing, Denver-based Punch Bowl Social, Milwaukee-based Drink Wisconsinbly and two Bucks-operated concepts, The MECCA Sports Bar and Grill and the Beer Garden. biztimes.com / 17
CJ BROWN – MILWAUKEE BUCKS
STORY COVER The new arena was also crucial in helping Milwaukee land the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Expected to be the largest event in the city’s history, the DNC could prove to be more important for Milwaukee’s future than all of the other accomplishments of Fiserv Forum’s first year combined. Whether Milwaukee can capitalize on the success of the arena’s first year and the DNC opportunity will depend on area businesses adapting to a changing environment, the Bucks continuing to deliver event programing at a high rate, and the team’s ability to develop the still vacant land surrounding the arena.
Since it opened, Fiserv Forum has held more than 110 non-Bucks or Marquette events, including more than 50 corporate events it hosted throughout its first fiscal year, which ran from August 2018 to June 2019. The arena hosted 34 concerts in its first year, most of which were sellouts, said Raj Saha, general manager of Fiserv Forum. By comparison, the Bradley Center hosted 21 concerts during fiscal 2008, its busiest for concerts. While year one of Fiserv Forum brought some of the music industry’s most notable names to Milwauke, including John Mayer, Justin Timberlake, P!nk, Cher, Metallica, Ariana Grande and the arena’s grand opening act The Killers, the lineup also represented a range of genres from Latin American to hip-hop, said Saha. Colombian reggaeton star J. Balvin performed in October as the first major Latin American artist to play in Milwaukee in years, and Regional Mexican band Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga, better known as Banda MS, will take the stage in November. Rapper Travis Scott performed in February and hip-hop superstar Chance the Rapper is booked for late October. “It’s not just about booking the concerts, it’s making sure the concerts are well attended so the artist, the manager and the agents are always thinking of Milwaukee,” Saha said. “The greatest thing of all is how well the market has responded in Milwaukee and in the radius around Milwaukee to sell out all these shows.” The ability to attract more entertainment to Milwaukee is good for the local industry, said Matt Beringer, chief operating officer of the Pabst Theater Group. “It continues the positive trend of artists, agents and managers viewing Milwaukee as an increasingly viable option for entertainment normally reserved for larger markets,” he said. Beyond concerts, the entertainment lineup for the first year of Fiserv Forum included UFC Fight Night, comedian Jim Gaffigan, Cirque du Soleil, ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham and Professional Bull Riders. Those major events, along with Bucks and Mar18 / BizTimes Milwaukee SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
Christkindlmarket at the Fiserv Forum plaza. MILWAUKEE BUCKS
NO DARK DAYS
Huge crowd at the Beer Garden near Fiserv Forum during the NBA playoffs.
quette games, draw the largest crowds, but Saha said the overall goal for the arena is “no dark days.” “While a lot of people see Bucks games, Marquette games, concerts and UFC fights, what they don’t see is the building’s calendar may have a three- or four-day gap between events, but we’re still hosting something inside the building,” he said, referring to private and corporate gatherings that can be held in any of the 10 event spaces throughout the arena. That philosophy extends beyond the confines of the facility. Fiserv Forum’s outdoor public plaza hosted its own major events this summer, including Bloody Mary Fest, Lobster Fest, Chords & Curds Festival and the Morning Glory Art Fair. The popular Christkindlmarket will return this winter for a second year and plans are in the works to expand its footprint, Saha said. There are also weekly programs at the plaza such as early morning high-intensity group workouts, yoga classes, live music, movie showings and organized activities for kids. The Deer District, the name for the Bucks’ development district around Fiserv Forum, has also
become a centralized hub for a variety of international and local sports events beyond Bucks games. The Deer District includes Fiserv Forum, the plaza, the Entertainment Block, land the Bucks control in the Park East corridor and the former Bradley Center site. Fans packed the Beer Garden in the Entertainment Block after the Bucks’ home opener last fall to cheer on the Brewers during the National League Championship Series. More recently, about 2,000 people gathered to watch the Women’s FIFA World Cup final, Saha said. “We want to be the entertainment capital of the state,” he said.
RIPPLE EFFECT An influx of people in the Deer District over the past year has boosted business for not only the Bucks and Entertainment Block tenants, but also for other areas of downtown, including North Old World Third Street and North Water Street, which themselves are also some of the city’s most popular nightlife strips. For bar owners Michael Vitucci and Nathan Harris, capitalizing on all the recent growth in the
MILWAUKEE BUCKS – TY HELBACH AND ROB LOUD
A scene from P!nk's performance at Fiserv Forum.
The Killers at Fiserv Forum.
P!nk at Fiserv Forum.
Twenty One Pilots at Fiserv Forum.
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Bucks fans pack the plaza in front of Fiserv Forum before a playoff game.
Brook Lopez and Eric Bledsoe 20 / BizTimes Milwaukee SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Khris Middleton
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
STORY COVER
area means evolving with the neighborhood. The business partners in July announced plans to rebrand Ugly’s, which faces Old World Third but shares its northern exterior wall with the Bucks’ Beer Garden. Vitucci also owns Belmont Tavern, Murphy’s, Caffrey’s, and Izzy Hops Swig & Nosh, all located throughout downtown Milwaukee. Harris is the founder of Ease Inc., a Milwaukee-based software startup. The Ugly’s building, a three-story, 9,000-squarefoot space, will reopen early this month as two new bar-restaurant concepts: Uncle Buck’s, a swanky Northwoods-themed tavern on the main floor, and Red Star, an upper-level lounge, dance club and rooftop patio offering views of the adjacent Beer Garden and its 30-foot screen below. “Times are changing and millennials are looking for a better experience and I think Ugly’s stayed stagnant—it was ready for a complete overhaul,” Vitucci said. He said the concept’s lower price points and local pride will set it apart from existing bars along the Entertainment Block. Other nearby businesses previously benefitted from basketball games and concerts at the Bradley Center, but some say Fiserv Forum has made a bigger impact. Iconic German restaurant Mader’s saw 20% more foot traffic on Fiserv Forum concert nights compared to those previously held at the Bradley
Center, said general manager Dan Hazard. He said business has been on a positive trajectory since the new arena opened and is planning the restaurant’s first major renovation in 30 years early next year. The last project coincided with the opening of the Bradley Center in 1988. “(Fiserv Forum) has been helpful to us,” he said. “One advantage we have is a large parking lot. If you come and dine here before an event, you can leave your car. Rather than spending the money on parking, they can spend it on some drinks and food.” Nathan Showers, owner of Rogues Gallery on East Juneau Avenue and recently opened Elwood’s Liquor & Tap at the former Rosie’s on Water Street, said the number of customers coming through the door at Rogues during the Bucks’ season was “exponentially bigger” this year than in years past, especially during the playoffs. Even when playoff games fell on weeknights, the bar brought in weekend-sized crowds, Showers said, which created staffing challenges. “On a Wednesday night, we only have two bartenders working normally and we needed four or five for a Bucks game,” he said. Showers attributed the boost to Rogues’ closer proximity to Fiserv Forum than to the Bradley Center, as well as the Bucks’ recent success. But the team’s performance, or even a new arena, will not make or break business for longtime Water and Old World Third establishments, Show-
ers said. After all, they survived the years when the Bucks were in the doldrums. “I think the businesses that need the Bucks to do well more than we do are the ones in their district,” he said. “Those are the ones that I think will really live and die off of the Bucks games, the concerts. All the bars in the area win if there is a Bucks game. But we’ve all been here before the Bucks were good and are doing just fine, so this is just an added bonus for us.” Good City Brewing opened in late January as the first of four tenants along the Entertainment Block, which spans Vel R. Phillips Avenue between West Highland and Juneau avenues. Chief executive officer and co-founder Dan Katt said he has seen a general resurgence of traffic coming into the downtown area since Fiserv Forum and the Deer District opened, and has even noticed it at Good City’s East Side location. “There’s a source of gravity that the arena brought in, which was really different from the Bradley Center,” Katt said. Good City saw its greatest surge of foot traffic during the playoffs. The space remained full throughout the duration of the games, compared to the regular season, when customers would clear out at tip-off and head into the arena. Katt said Good City has especially benefited from the wide range of events held at Fiserv Forum, and is working out the logistics of accommodating
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STORY COVER the different groups of people those events bring in. Some people may come for the craft beer, while others are interested in only ordering food. On days when there are not events, the 11,000-square-foot production facility and taproom attracts tourists who are staying at one of the new nearby hotels and local business professionals during the lunch hour, Katt said. Weeknights are quiet. “It’s still a developing neighborhood,” he said. “There aren’t a lot of apartments in the immediate vicinity other than The Moderne. There are still vacant lots and those eventually will be filled, but probably not for a few years.” Bucks fans at the Beer Garden near Fiserv Forum.
TAILOR-MADE Those vacant lots are an important element of the Deer District footprint, which Joe Solmonese, chief executive officer of the 2020 DNC Committee, recently described as “tailor-made for a presidential convention of this caliber.” During the convention, the space will likely function as giant parking lots that will store the hundreds of buses transporting delegates to and from hotels each day, said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Parking is often a challenge for conventions held in downtown areas, so the open space
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and its proximity to Fiserv Forum was attractive to event organizers. In addition, millions of dollars will be invested in the arena’s infrastructure during the months leading up to the convention, Barrett said. Final plans could include reconfiguring portions of the interior to build out the stage and maximize seating capacity. That work is set to begin late this year, Solmonese said. “We’re going to work hand-in-hand (with the
GOLF OUTING
DNC),” said Saha. “It’s not as simple as us handing over the keys and saying ‘See you in two months.’” Although additional new development in the Deer District will not break ground until after the DNC, which takes place from July 13-16, 2020, Katt is anxious for that work to begin. “Just getting things started will be a big help to us because we’d have probably a couple hundred construction workers down here every day that need to eat and need a beer after work,” he said.
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STORY COVER
BUILDING A FUTURE With Fiserv Forum and the Entertainment Block complete, it appears the Bucks are on their way to fulfilling their grander vision for the Deer District, and Milwaukee’s business community is already benefitting. However, it may be a long road until that vision fully comes to life. The Bucks are working to secure developers and tenants for four main sites: a 2.4-acre plot on the northwest quadrant of Juneau and Vel R. Phillips avenues; a 1.88-acre plot on the northeast quadrant of that same intersection; and a 2.89-acre and 2.68 acre-plot at the former Bradley Center site just to the south of Fiserv Forum. The sites at Juneau and Vel R. Phillips avenues are in the Park East corridor. Redevelopment of the former Bradley Center site will be a major turning point for businesses in and around the Deer District, said Mike Eitel, owner of Nomad World Pub and Caravan Hospitality Group. The company took over the main level bar-restaurant and event space at Turner Hall last summer and reopened it in time for the Bucks’ first preseason home game in October. During its first 10 months, Tavern at Turner based its hours of operation largely on the Fiserv Forum and Turner Hall event schedules. The business is now focusing efforts on filling non-event days with private parties and special events, but Eitel said there is not enough consistent demand to open with normal hours to the public. “We’re still a couple years away from real, actual density down here … We don’t want to wait four years for the neighborhood to be built up around us — we don’t have that luxury,” he said. “And we don’t want to only be open during events.” Eitel is hopeful about what is in the works for the former Bradley Center site, saying it will help transform the Deer District into a “24-hour neighborhood.” He also said the proposed extension of Milwaukee’s downtown streetcar on Vel R. Phillips Avenue is crucial for bringing in more foot traffic. A number of proposals for the former Bradley Center site are currently under review as the Bucks work to “figure out exactly what’s the best fit, what’s going to complement what we already have,” said Michael Belot, senior vice president of Bucks Ventures and Development. All available parcels have garnered “overwhelming” interest from hotel, office, retail and residential tenants from across the country, Belot said. The Bucks will announce new Deer District tenant details in the next couple of months, but construction will have to wait until after the DNC, when Milwaukee and Fiserv Forum will again be in the national spotlight. “We’re still at the beginning of something, but at least the change and growth and development is palpable now,” Eitel said. n 24 / BizTimes Milwaukee SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
FORMER BRADLEY CENTER SITE
Key development sites near Fiserv Forum.
NORTHEAST JUNEAU AND VEL PHILLIPS SITE
JON ELLIOTT OF MKE DRONES LLC
NORTHWEST JUNEAU AND VEL PHILLIPS SITE
biztimes.com / 25
Special Report BANKING & FINANCE The looming departure of DRS pushed the Northwest Side Community Development Corp. toward making smaller loans, according to Howard Snyder.
New loan programs could bring investment to Milwaukee and Waukesha Arthur Thomas, staff writer BOTH WAUKESHA COUNTY and the northwest side of Milwaukee will potentially see increased investment in the coming months from two new programs aimed at helping local businesses grow. In Milwaukee, the Northwest Side Community Development Corp. received $500,000 from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. capital catalyst program. The grant will be paired with another $500,000 in NWSCDC money to fund loans to early-stage companies and small businesses, particularly those owned by women or minorities in the energy and power, food and beverage and water technology sectors. The Waukesha County Center for Growth, meanwhile, is on the verge of establishing the $2 million Generating Resources and Opportunities in Waukesha, or GROW, revolving loan fund. The center is finalizing an agreement with the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp., which will administer the fund. Leaders from both organizations say they are optimistic about quickly deploying the newly available capital in their respective areas. Howard Snyder, executive director of the NWSCDC, said he hopes to close on a couple of loans by mid-September and would ideally have all of the money lent out by the middle of next year. “If I said I want to see it all gone by Dec. 31, 2019 then I would feel like we probably took a little more risk than we should have,” Snyder said. He noted that while NWSCDC has three years to make loans, WEDC made clear it would like to see some urgency in his organization’s efforts. “We’re not going to be so urgent that we’re 26 / BizTimes Milwaukee SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
willing to throw $500,000 of their money and $500,000 of our money away, but it does mean we have to pick up the pace a bit,” said Snyder, who is stepping down from his position at the end of the year. Tim Casey, executive director of the Waukesha County Center for Growth, said his organization is already in talks with eight companies about potential loans, including four in the process of submitting applications. Seven of the companies are in manufacturing while the eighth is in construction. “A lot of the prospects we’re working with right now are smaller and medium-sized manufacturers, but they’re folks that have 20 jobs and are building a new building in Waukesha County or expanding and have an opportunity to add another five people,” Casey said. WEDC announced the NWSCDC program with a visit from Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. Snyder said the media attention on the announcement generated a lot of prospects, although many of them would be difficult to lend to even with looser standards. He said the best prospects have come through intermediaries like Silicon Pastures, Young Enterprising Society, BizStarts and the Midwest Energy Research Consortium. “We are trying to figure out ways to lend to smaller businesses,” Snyder said. “It sounds like it should be easy, but it’s not when you’re used to a $10 million deal, where our loan is, say, $1 million.” Loans in the new NWSCDC program are capped at $200,000, although the organization
could bring in some of its own money to bolster a financing package, Snyder said. Historically, the organization has focused on making loans to larger companies like Leonardo DRS. That approach was born out of a need to replace thousands of jobs lost in the 30th Street Industrial Corridor in the past several decades. While smaller businesses might grow to create a lot of jobs over time, the larger companies offered a chance for expansion projects with a lot of jobs in a shorter time period. Snyder said the organization also trended toward larger, less risky companies several years ago after having a number of early loans go bad. In the past seven or eight years, he said there has been just one bad loan. “We’ve had time to rethink what we’re doing,” Snyder said. At the same time, the 30th Street Corridor is facing the looming departures of two of its largest companies, DRS and Astronautics. The former is moving to a new facility in Menomonee Falls while the latter is headed to Oak Creek. Briggs & Stratton is also consolidating warehouse operations in the area to Germantown. The prospect of needing to fill those buildings helped push NWSCDC to focus on lending to smaller businesses as well. The change was less philosophical and more driven by timing, Snyder said. “A gigantic company is probably not going to go into DRS,” he said. If one did, chances are it would not need help from Snyder’s organization. Tom Ryan, owner of Milwaukee-based Jonco Industries, bought the DRS building at 4265 N. 30th St. and the warehouse at 4143 N. 27th St. Ryan also owns the Century City tower at 4201 N. 27th St., where NWSCDC is based. All three buildings are located in close proximity to each other. Ryan has not disclosed plans for the two buildings. “If what he did in our building is going to happen in the other two, it’s not going to get filled by one business. That’d be great but it’s not going to happen, so it’s going to be a whole bunch of businesses,” Snyder said. Beyond business expansion, the GROW Fund is also hoping to address a challenge facing Waukesha County by supporting the development of more moderately priced housing. Casey said the idea is for the fund to provide gap financing to help developers hold or tie up a site while they put together the rest of their capital. Ideally, the money would be lent out for 12 to 18 months.
Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, State Rep. David Bowen, NWSCDC executive director Howard Snyder and WEDC secretary and chief executive officer Mark Hogan at the capital catalyst announcement.
“We’re in the financing for a relatively shorter period of time and then get the funds back so that we can continue to revolve them and get them back in the community,” Casey said. He noted many of the dozen lenders the center talked to were very interested in including a housing component in the GROW Fund. BMO Harris Bank, First Bank Financial Centre, Johnson Bank and Town Bank are already part of the fund and Casey expects others to join when the
fund is up and running. Casey said banks were optimistic the housing could help them meet their Community Reinvestment Act requirements but Waukesha County executive Paul Farrow has also emphasized diversifying the county’s housing stock. “There’s a real goal to find a way to do some more modestly priced housing, both multifamily and eventually potentially single family as well,” Casey said, noting more than 1,000 apartment
units have been added in the county in recent years but the market rate for a one-bedroom is around $1,400. “The goal here is to see if we can’t build some more modestly priced apartments that maybe come in closer to $900 a month so that folks who are just getting started on their career ladder have more modestly priced options to look at,” he added. Snyder said banks have also increasingly been taking a closer look at opportunities in the central city, suggesting the success of community development financial institutions like NWSCDC has led them to consider smaller or more collaborative deals. “There’s much more openness to that than there has been in the past,” he said. Snyder also said that while it may be difficult to see for the average observer, progress is being made in redeveloping the 30th Street Corridor. “There’s movement and it didn’t exist two years ago,” he said. n
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Special Report BANKING & FINANCE
LANDMARK CREDIT UNION
The new Landmark Credit Union branch in the town of Brookfield is under construction.
Credit unions see opportunity in southeastern Wisconsin expansions By Alex Zank, staff writer TWO CREDIT UNIONS that are adding branch locations in southeastern Wisconsin say growing their physical footprint is still vital to the services they offer members, even in an era when so much banking is done electronically. “Those branches serve an important role in providing our members with options for how they choose to conduct their banking with us,” said Jay Magulski, president and chief executive officer of New Berlin-based Landmark Credit Union. “So what we are focused on is combining branches with our digital banking platform and our member service center. We want to make sure that Landmark members know they can conduct their banking with us when, where and
how it best suits their individual needs.” Since last spring, Landmark has opened, relocated or announced plans for six different branches. Twenty-five of the credit union’s 31 branches are located in southeastern Wisconsin. Cottage Grove-based Summit Credit Union is also actively expanding, extending its area of influence eastward into the Milwaukee area. Its website lists 39 branches, with most clustered in the Madison and Milwaukee areas. Becky Gerothanas, chief operations officer at Summit, said seven branches in southeastern Wisconsin have either recently opened, are under construction or are planned to open in the near future.
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Summit opened a branch in New Berlin in July 2018, one in Oconomowoc in November 2018 and another in Brookfield this July. Construction of a new Waukesha branch is underway. It also has plans to open branches in the Freshwater Plaza development in Milwaukee and another in Oak Creek as part of a larger development that will be built across I-94 from IKEA. Summit also owns property in Pewaukee, where it plans to construct a new location eventually. “There’s no branch there yet and we don’t have an exact (development) timeframe, but Pewaukee is in our plans also,” Gerothanas said. Landmark opened a new Muskego branch in spring 2018. This January, it relocated an in-store branch to a new freestanding branch in Franklin, and it plans to do the same thing with one of its two in-store locations in West Bend this fall. Landmark is also constructing a new branch in the town of Brookfield, has announced plans for a new Greenfield location and has purchased land in Glendale for another future branch. Landmark is also building a new 158,000-square-foot headquarters in Brookfield, at 555 S. Executive Drive. Magulski said construction of the new office building is expected to be completed in spring 2021. Summit earlier this year moved into a new headquarters building of its own in Cottage Grove. Both Summit and Landmark said brick-andmortar branches are still important parts of the business, even with technology making it easier for members to do most of their banking online. Gerothanas said Summit has found prospective members often look at which branches are nearby when choosing a financial institution. Many routine transactions are now done digitally, though there are plenty of other instances where people likely prefer a face-to-face interac-
STRANG INC.
A rendering of the planned Summit Credit Union branch in Waukesha.
tion, she said. “They like to come in when it’s time for a mortgage loan and they like to talk to somebody,” she said, adding the same goes for when people are applying for a small business loan or borrowing money to purchase a car. Similarly, Magulski said branches provide members with options of how to conduct their business with Landmark. “If someone wants to deposit a check via their
smartphone, they can do that with us,” Magulski said. “And when they want to come in and have a face-to-face conversation with somebody to talk about establishing a savings plan, establishing some investment goals, talking about a home improvement project, we’re there for them.”
BRANCHING OUT Magulski said Landmark considers “many factors” when evaluating where to put up a new
branch, including proximity to current branches, site visibility, and the ingress and egress of the site, among others. Gerothanas said Summit decides to open a branch if the location strengthens the existing network or if it would prove more convenient to members and better help homeowners looking to take out a mortgage on a home. Sometimes it is a matter of just finding the right opportunity. Take Freshwater Plaza, for instance. The proposed Summit branch would be located on an outlot of the development, east of South First Street and north of East Greenfield Avenue. Freshwater Plaza features a four-story building with 76 apartment units and first floor retail space, a 46,000-square-foot Cermak Fresh Market and a Sherwin Williams paint store, with possibly more projects to come. “It’s a really vibrant area of Milwaukee,” she said. “We think it’s an area that will continue to grow. We feel like it’s a good community, area of Milwaukee for us to be looking at.” n
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Special Report LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT & TALENT MANAGEMENT Team leaders and OurSIM team members now wear red hairnets to help improve communication at Sussex IM.
Adding levels of leadership helps Sussex IM handle sustained growth Arthur Thomas, staff writer GROWING BUSINESSES often run into a problem. The culture, practices and structure that help it reach a certain level are no guarantee of continued success and future growth as a company becomes a larger operation.
Sussex IM ran into just that challenge in recent years. The company had grown its headcount, customer base, number of products and square footage. “It became too big for the infrastructure that
was in place,” said Kyle Kopp, vice president of manufacturing at Sussex IM, a plastic injection molding company based in Sussex. Part of the problem was that when Sussex IM was a smaller company, the people at the highest levels of the business were very involved in the day-to-day operations. “A lot of the people on the floor didn’t really make a lot of decisions,” said Megan Tzanoukakis, vice president of supply chain. “They just went right to the top.” The company previously had a plant manager and one supervisor on each of its three shifts. Kopp and Tzanoukakis said that structure led to a lot of people reporting to the plant manager, inconsistent training and communication and a tendency to not utilize skillsets effectively. “There wasn’t that consistent message that was given to them so we had a high turnover,” Tzanoukakis said. To counteract those problems, Sussex IM added layers of leadership, creating a shift manager position on each shift, adding administrative and technical supervisors below them, along with the jobs of lead tech and administrative assistant. The previous positions of team leaders, operators and associates remained below the new jobs. “There was a focus of let’s get our technical people working on the technical work and our admin people working on the admin work,” Kopp said. The organizational changes are part of a multiyear effort to enhance and evolve the company’s culture called OurSIM. In addition to driving decision making deeper in the organization, the program also sought to improve communication, reduce employee turnover, increase training to prepare for looming retirements of long-tenured employees and ultimately improve performance. It does not take long to see the improved com-
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munication on the production floor at Sussex IM. There is plenty of activity as employees work to address issues. There is also a clear indication of the new program as team leaders and OurSIM team members now wear red hairnets, giving employees an easy way to find someone to help solve problems. Along with increased training, Sussex IM emphasized providing clear job descriptions and simplified work instructions with pictures and videos and more information at the point of work to reinforce proper procedures. Kopp said the company has found that breaking training down into simplified pieces makes it easier to comprehend and gives employees the confidence that they’re doing the right thing. A little more than a year into the program, Kopp said the company is seeing results, regularly coming in under targets for scrap and returns, and stabilizing variances in scrap, overhead and labor. “What we’re seeing is people are more focused on what matters and are using data to make good decisions,” he said, noting that the overwhelming number of participants in a voluntary training on reading variance reports was a sign of the buy-in
Sussex IM has seen. But buy-in did not come overnight. The company started its planning for the organizational change in August 2017 and launched it the following summer. The first six months focused on developing Kopp’s position and he rejoined the company after several years away. The company then had to staff all of the new leadership positions it was creating. Kopp said the original expectation was Sussex IM would need to look to external hires to fill those roles but most of the jobs ended up going to internal candidates. “(It is) a testament to the people we have here that they had the skillsets we need to do the job, they just didn’t have the role,” Kopp said. In several cases, the company opted to put relatively newer employees into leadership positions while those with more experience were asked to take on mentorship roles. “We were very fortunate to have a strong family culture,” Kopp said. “There was no animosity or ill will. Everyone wants the other people to succeed.” Kopp said even though the new leaders were well positioned to take on their new jobs, the company could have planned more training to help
them transition into effective leaders. Tzanoukakis said it was also important to realize the program would not generate results right away. “It takes a while,” she said. “People have to get in a groove and they have to learn their new roles before you can see results in the data.” The delayed results do create a challenge for keeping the buy-in Sussex IM worked to build. “You just build upon the small wins and work towards a goal and over communicate and make sure that expectations are clear for where they’re at,” Kopp said. The company’s success has created new problems. Adding to leadership created more need for office space so the company is expanding its office and adding a training center. Repeatedly hitting targets has created another problem. “We have a complaint on the floor that they’re sick of hitting the goals every month and getting pizza,” Kopp said. While the repetitiveness of the reward for employees might be a lighthearted issue, it is one Kopp and his team are taking seriously and working to resolve. n
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SHAPING THE FUTURE Manufacturing Matters! 2017 will take place at the Hyatt Regency in Milwaukee on February 23rd, 2017. The theme of this year’s conference is Shaping the Future, and the conference features 18 breakout session in six tracks including: Growth • Operational Excellence • Human Capital Management C-Suite Essentials • Technology & innovation Wisconsin Manufacturing P L AT I N U M S P O N S O R
P RL EASTEI N Nworkforce GS SPPOONNchallenges N TAs UI M SSOO RR : and trends are
on the minds of most manufacturers, we are pleased to announce this year’s keynote presenter is Kip Wright, Senior Vice President of Manpower, North America. Kip will discuss G O key L D workforce SPONSORS trends and what manufacturers can do to secure and develop their current and future workforces.
Wednesday, October 4, 2017 • October 7:00 - 11:00 AM Save the Date! Wednesday, 9th, 2019 WI Manufacturing & Technology Show at Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park Kip Wright
Senior Vice President of 7:00-11:00AM | WI Manufacturing & Technology Show Manpower, North America Preparing For What’s Next at Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park
REGISTER TODAY! Are you letting the disruptors control you, or are you building a “Proactively Adaptable Organization” www.manufacturingmatters.org
The Shaping Your Join us forConnections the annual Next Generation Manufacturing Summit, featuring a lively interactive discussion with chief executive officers and leaders of southeastern Wisconsin manufacturing companies. These CEO’s will share their company’s ideas and best practices for competCompany’s Future 1 in the 21st century. 2 ing in a global marketplace and how they strive to be “proactively adaptable” world-class manufacturers
3
Next generation manufacturing companies are making connections with other businesses Proactively adaptable organizations look beyond their own four walls and next purchase order and are preparing for the inevitable disruptors in to drive innovation. They are also connecting machines to improve productivity, reacting today’s business environment. Hear from industry leaders who are creating processes and a culture of innovation, as well as methods of talent to connections between economies and markets, and striving to connect with their attraction, that will drive innovation in their business. future workforce. Moderated Panel: Join us for the 14th Annual Next Generation Manufacturing Summit on Oct. 9. CEOs from • Jim Hawkins, CEO - Kenall Manufacturing (1) the region’s leading manufacturers will discuss how they make these connections and will 4 5 • Jim Leef, President - ITU AbsorbTech (2) share best practices that help their businesses succeed. Area manufacturing leaders will • John W. Mellowes, CEO - Charter Manufacturing Company, Inc. (3) also share their ideas at roundtables focused on topics like: • David Werner, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Director, Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Division (IATD) - 3M (4)
SHAPING THE FUTURE
» Accessing Tax Savings Your Facility » Managing Growth – Organic, Acquisitions Moderator - JosephinWeitzer, Ph.D., Dean - Center for Business Performance Solutions, Waukesha County Technical College (5) Presenters: and Operations » Monetizing Your Facilities — Whether »Manufacturing Best Practices: Turn Export2017 Efforts Into Expanding, or Just Remaining Matters! will take place at theRelocating Hyatt Regency • John Batten, President & CEO, Twin Disc (1) Revenues » Monetizing Your inExport Milwaukee on February 23rd, 2017. The theme of Innovation this year’s • Bill Berrien, CEO, Pindel Global Precision (2) » Graduating from Passionate Entrepre-1 » New Product Development & Innovation3 2features 18 4 5 conference is Shaping the Future, and the conference • Ken Bockhorst, President & CEO, Badger Meter, Inc. (3) neur to Seasoned Mentor » Preparing for a Successful Business Transession in sixMoney tracksinincluding: »breakout How to Find the Hidden Your sition & Leaving a Meaningful Legacy • Jeffrey Dawes, President & CEO, Komatsu Mining Corp. (4) Business » Secrets of Successful Negotiations™ • Stacy Peterson, CEO, Connoils, LLC (5) • Operational Excellence • Human Capital Case for Sustainability »Growth Leadership: Building a High-Perfor» The Business The program continues with roundtable discussions. The CEO panel and roundtables will address a variety of topics including: Management C-Suite Essentials • Technology & innovation mance Environment » Transformational Productivity • Building an organization’s “adaptability muscles” • Creating a process andPlanning culture to be more innovative • Additive manufacturing/3D printing »Wisconsin Making theManufacturing Most of Your Supplier’s » Trusts, Estates and Succession for the futureLocal Concept and Automation and process improvement • Process improvement Capabilities – From » Winning the• War for Talent • Talentchallenges attraction, development and retention • Logistics & supply chain management • Customer-focused innovation AsDesign workforce and trends are Through Global Manufacturing » Women in Manufacturing • Leadership & engagement • Succession planning • And more
on the minds most manufacturers, • Big data,of Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence • Exporting, global engagement we are pleased to announce this year’s Register Today! biztimes.com/mfg keynote presenter is Kip Wright, Senior SPONSORS: Vice President of Manpower, North America. Kip will discuss key workforce GOLD SPONSORS trends and what manufacturers can do FEATURED MAIN STAGE EVENT AT Kip Wright to secure and develop their current and Senior SVice President of UPPORTING: PARTNER: future workforces. Manpower, North America
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Strategies MANAGEMENT
Necessary habits for growth How to make time to work “on” your business BUSINESS COACHES will typically tell owners that they should work more “on” their business instead of “in” it. As businesses grow, the major limiting factor becomes the leader’s bandwidth to do just this. Eventually, they can no longer do the heavy lifting on their own. In order to overcome this, we promote the idea of creating a “culture of growth” within the organization. This culture comes alive when staff is engaged with driving growth. However, this idea is abstract in nature. Here is a simple guide that breaks down this idea into mechanical steps that create habits necessary to grow the business:
STEP 1: ASSESS THE BUSINESS Identify what the current state of your business is and where you want to go. Do different exercises and assessments to look over all areas of your business. Involve your team as you go through different analyses such as the creation of your vision and mission, SWOT, ideal customer profile, and competitive analysis. This will help you see your business through a fresh lens.
STEP 2: CREATE THE PLAN After that, take the results of those analyses to create your business plan for the next year. Make sure this business plan is simple so
you can rally your staff around it. You and your team will review your plan every month (more of that in step 4), so make sure to include measurable targets so your staff can easily measure and track the plan’s achievement. Focus on targets that surround the five pillars of business: financial growth, customer delight, innovation, productivity, and great place to work.
STEP 3: ALIGN YOUR STAFF After the business plan is created, it is time to align your staff to it. When staff is aligned to the plan, leaders will know what their staff is working on, and that it will drive achievement to the plan. Moreover, with alignment comes a sense of empowerment and accountability for staff as they take on additional goals and responsibilities. Staff will be able to make decisions on behalf of the customer. On the other side, the owner will be able to focus on working “on” the business versus solely “in” the business. Leaders can get their team aligned by helping them to create SMART goals that relate to the business plan. Each quarter, leaders meet with their staff to discuss the progress they’ve made on their goals. Other ways include assigning responsibilities to staff members that relate to the goals on the business plan. These aren’t necessarily related to each individual’s job description, but more of what they need to do to drive achievement of the plan. Think of these as long-term and high-level responsibilities for the year.
STEP 5: REVIEW THE PROCESS At the end of the month, the leadership team will meet to discuss the progress the business made to the plan. Here, owners and leaders are able to stop, talk about their pain points, and strategize about their next steps. An advisor can join this meeting or it can also be done in a roundtable fashion with other growth-minded business. Then, after the monthly meeting is done, repeat step 4 (plan execution) until it’s time for next year’s business plan. Having this rigor month after month will lead to sustained growth. That’s it! Follow these basic steps to work on your business. Rally your team around your business plan and empower them to drive achievement. The owner will then be able to work on tomorrow’s growth while the team manages today’s items. Now, it’s your turn to change your business so you can work on your growth plan. Decide to break through. n
STEP 4: EXECUTE THE PLAN Now it’s time to execute the plan. After you closed your month, go through a monthly process of updating the targets on the plan and subsequently creating accountability items. We use what we call the “must do/can’t miss” board to enforce accountability and a listing of “who is doing what, by when” to achieve the plan. Each week, have staff do a stand-up report on the status of their accountability items.
PAUL SCHULLS Paul Schulls is the co-founder and president of Wauwatosa-based STUCK (getunstuck.com). He can be reached at pauls@getunstuck.com. biztimes.com / 33
Strategies NEGOTIATION
The right moves Strategies for giving and getting concessions AS A YOUNG sales professional, I mistakenly thought that closing profitable sales made me a skilled negotiator. Reality struck when my sales territory expanded to include New York and New Jersey. After a month of meeting my new clients, I hadn’t made a single sale. Desperate for help, I reached out to the VP of sales to discuss my situation. That conversation changed my business life. One of my key takeaways was realizing how every move I made during a negotiation conditioned the other party how to negotiate with me. For example, if I “caved in” when they became aggressive, I taught them that pressure was my weakness. If, on the other hand, I offered options to their concession demands, they learned to talk through different scenarios so we could find a mutually agreeable solution. Most people don’t enjoy negotiating. For them, the tension of the give and take can be overwhelming. I’ve heard some people describe the give-and-take experience as “a war zone” when, in fact, it is an adventure of discovery. To transform feelings of intimidation and overwhelm to curiosity, become familiar with concession strategies and practice using them. To get you started, I’ve listed five strategies below that people often overlook that are easy to implement: 1. Try to determine all demands before you make a concession. When the other party demands a concession from you, simply ask, “In addition to X, what else is important to 34 / BizTimes Milwaukee SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
2.
3.
4.
5.
you?” This will reveal their list of concessions so you can decide how best to work through the demands. You may have to ask the question several times before you get all of the items on their list. Keep concessions small, make them slowly, and make each concession progressively slower. This will give the other party the impression that you are close to reaching your bottom line. The best time to get a concession is when you give one. When you are asked to make a concession, simply say, “If the possibility to provide you with X exists, can you provide Y?” This will force the other party to re-assess if their concession request is important enough that they are willing to give something up. This strategy ties nicely to No. 2 above. Simply stated: “Never make a concession without getting something in return.” Avoid a pattern when making concessions. Don’t be predictable. When you do the same thing over and over, it becomes a pattern that makes it easy for the other party to leverage. You don’t want the other party to know your next move. Split the difference. It’s best to refrain from splitting the difference unless it works in your favor. For example, let’s say that you are the supplier who charges $100 for a particular product. Through a series of concession demands, the customer has gotten you to reduce your cost from $100 to $87. When you meet to sign the contract, the other party starts out by saying, “Our VP won’t approve this. He said that we need to be at $80 to close the deal but I told him that I felt that was unreasonable. He said if we split the difference, I can sign the agreement.” Don’t do it! The buyer is gaining another $3.50 while not giving anything up. Your best response is to say, “Unfortunately, if we start playing with the numbers at this point, I’ll be forced to start from the beginning which means we start from $100. Please let me know how you would like to proceed.” Typically, they back down.
With any negotiation, you want to begin by defining your needs (must haves) and your wants (wish list). This makes it easy to focus on what is most important to you about the outcome of the negotiation because when your needs are met, you win! If you secure nothing else, it doesn’t matter because you secured what you needed. As part of the preparation process, after you define your needs and wants, anticipate potential situations that may unfold and prepare accordingly. The insights that you gain and the strategies that you develop prior to the actual negotiation will help you to remain confident, calm and centered during the negotiation. This step alone could prevent you from making a false move or becoming overwhelmed. n
CHRISTINE M c MAHON Christine McMahon is a former sales executive for Nabisco, SlimFast and Procter & Gamble. She offers sales and leadership training, conference keynotes and executive coaching. She can be reached at (844) 3692133 or ccm@christinemcmahon.com.
Tip Sheet Talking about your business while networking
W
hile at networking events, it can be exciting when someone asks about your business, but it can be difficult to keep that person
engaged and make sure the information you’re providing makes sense and follows a structure. Marc E. Parham, a small business expert, professional speaker, radio host and author, recommends these six tips for navigating how to discuss your business at networking events in a recent SCORE article. Keep these questions in mind to present your business in a cohesive and interesting way. 1. What are you solving? Clearly state the purpose of your business and address the problem your business solves. 2. Who are your customers? Identify what demographics need the solution your business provides. Parham says it’s important to inform the person you’re talking to that the problem even exists.
You’ve reached the top. Now enjoy the view.
3. What is your solution? Explain the solution to the problem – in other words, explain your business. Use the solution when you explain the reasons why you decided to start your business. 4. Who are you? Explain your credentials and why your solution is better than your competitors. 5. Where are you? Inform the person of your business’s location, your email, and/or your phone number. Offer for them to stop by and try something out or to sign up for your newsletter. 6. And now? “Stop talking!” says Parham. You should only be talking for about 60 seconds. Let the other person ask questions about your business. Remember that networking is about talking to as many people as possible. n
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BIZ PEOPLE
Advertising Section: New Hires, Promotions and Board Appointments
CATEGORY Anne Sapienza, CRPC® has become an owner of IAG Wealth Partners, LLC. As part of IAG’s continuity planning, the addition of Anne to the ownership group signifies the company’s commitment to serving its clients and their families for generations.
CATEGORY Denise Domian joined Johnson Financial Group as chief human resources officer. With over 20 years of experience leading HR functions, she formerly served as CHRO at Shopko Stores, prior to that with Bon-Ton Stores.
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BizConnections NONPROFIT BURKE FOUNDATION COMMITS $7 MILLION TO MARQUETTE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS The Milwaukee-based Burke Foundation has made a $7 million commitment to continue two Marquette University scholarship programs established by late Trek Corp. founder Richard Burke. The funding will support Marquette’s Trinity Fellows program for graduate students and the Burke Scholars program for undergraduate students. Burke, founder and former president of Trek Corp., was a 1956 graduate of Marquette’s College of Business Administration. He was a member of the university’s board of trustees from 1996 until he was elected trustee emeritus in 2005.
The 25-year-old Burke Scholars program is a full-tuition undergraduate scholarship awarded annually to 10 Wisconsin high school seniors who are committed to social justice and service. To date, it has produced 145 alumni, who have served at more than 90 community organizations in Milwaukee. The Trinity Fellows program is a full-tuition graduate fellowship program aimed at developing urban leaders with a commitment to social and economic justice. Fellows participate in a 21-month study/work program while earning a master’s degree in specific fields of study. — Lauren Anderson
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c alendar The EPIC Gala-lotta benefitting Running Rebels Community Organization will be held Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the Italian Community Center, 631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee. The event, hosted by Bartolotta Restaurants’ Care-a-lotta foundation, will include five-time NBA All-Star and Milwaukee Bucks legend Marques Johnson. All sponsorship funding will directly support Running Rebels. More information is available at facebook.com/Carealotta. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee chapter of Engineers Without Borders will host its 11th Annual Benefit for Clean Water
on Sept. 27 from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Global Water Center, 247 W. Freshwater Way, Milwaukee. The event will include a presentation at 7 p.m. on the previous trip taken by the UWM chapter of EWB, a live auction at 8 p.m., food and beverages from local vendors, musical entertainment, a raffle and wine pull. More information is avaivlable at ewb-uwm.org.
D O N AT I O N R O U N D U P Arby’s restaurants donated $55,800 to Hunger Task Force through its annual in-restaurant fundraising program, the Make a Difference campaign. | The MKE Plays initiative has received $500,000 from the Burke Foundation to support neighborhood playground reconstruction projects throughout Milwaukee. | St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care’s 15th annual Dream Together Gala raised a record-high $291,000. | Acuity is giving $2.5 million to support the construction of a neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric unit and birthing center at the new hospital that Advocate Aurora Health is building in Kohler. | Major League Baseball commissioner emeritus Bud Selig and his wife, Sue, made a $1 million donation to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Lubar Entrepreneurship Center.
38 / BizTimes Milwaukee SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
Mission statement: Transforming lives through theater Primary focus of your nonprofit organization: First Stage touches hearts, engages minds, and transforms lives by creating extraordinary theater experiences for young people and families through: Professional theater productions that inspire, enlighten, and entertain; Unparalleled Theater Academy training that fosters life skills through stage skills; and dynamic Theater in Education programs that promote active learning in our schools and community. Number of employees at this location: 50 Key donors: United Performing Arts Fund and The Burke Foundation Executive leadership: Betsy Corry, managing director; Jeff Frank, artistic director
Kempken, Carol Kracht, Tim Lantz, Eric Maassen, Christopher Marschka, Sagar Murthy, Melissa Nelsen, Kathleen Dohearty Penniston, Corrie Prunuske, Kristin Sheehan, Marcy Stanczyk, Scott Stiverson, Brent Sullivan and Christine Bestor Townsend. Is your organization actively seeking board members for the upcoming term? Yes What roles are you looking to fill? First Stage seeks a diverse group of voices and experience to ensure our long term sustainability and to advance our mission of transforming lives through theater. Senior level leaders with expertise in education (K-12 and post-secondary), marketing, diversity and inclusion practices, and real estate are current areas of interest for the Board and its committees.
Board of directors: Executive Committee: Alex Kramer, Karen Guy, Darren Goldstein, Tami Martin, Caryn Esten and Kristin Severson.
Ways the business community can help your nonprofit: First Stage continuously seeks financial support from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Volunteers are routinely needed to serve as ushers at our theater performances, in our Theater Academy and at our special events.
Board of Directors: Nicole Angresano, La’Ketta Caldwell, Suzanne Clausing, Kathleen Dohearty, Brian Gilpin, Dan
Key fundraising events: »» Annual Wine Tasting and Dinner: Nov. 2, 2019 »» Make Believe Ball: March 7, 2020
SBA LOANS: JULY 2019 The U.S. Small Business Administration approved the following loan guarantees in July: JEFFERSON COUNTY
Business Initiative Corp.;
Brilliant Stone Creations LLC, 222 Wisconsin Drive, Jefferson, $30,000;
Amzter LLC, 9929 W. Silver Spring Drive, Milwaukee, $500,000, National Exchange Bank and Trust;
HRD Tool Sales LLC, 1429 Oconomowoc Ave., Watertown, $64,100, Ixonia Bank; Reva and Amba LLC, 1255 Whitewater Ave., Fort Atkinson, $500,000, Millennium Bank; KENOSHA COUNTY
Foot Factor Podiatry LLC, 6125 Green Bay Road, Kenosha, $100,000, Community State Bank;
Beacon Business Group Inc., 1300 N. Prospect Ave., Milwaukee, $90,000, Summit Credit Union; Camacho Properties S. 13th St. LLC, 3577 S. 13th St., Milwaukee, $196,000 BMO Harris Bank; King Jaxson Real Estate LLC, 1775 E. Bolivar Ave., St. Francis, $237,000, WBD Inc.;
MRDS LLC, 5900 77th St., Kenosha, $128,000, Racine County Business Development Corp.; MILWAUKEE COUNTY
Abby Lynn Bridal LLC, 326 W. Florida St., Milwaukee, $150,000, Wisconsin Women’s
Luckeshe Holdings LLC, 2622 N. Downer Ave., Milwaukee, $205,500, Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp.; Oh My Dog LLC, 8838 N. Port Washington Road, Bayside, $45,000, Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp.;
Shackelford’s 700 Transportation Service, 9053 W. Rochelle Ave., Milwaukee, $67,000, Legacy Redevelopment Corp.; Sindhi Inc., 3833 N. Teutonia Ave., Milwaukee, $1,425,000, Byline Bank; StormGUARDen LLC, 247 Freshwater Way, Suite 41, Milwaukee, $50,000, Community State Bank; Watchdog Properties LLC, 4726 W. Vliet St., Milwaukee, $250,000, Milwakee Economic Development Corp.; Wauwataesie Mercantile LLC, 7479 Harwood Ave., Wauwatosa, $389,000, WBD Inc.; Wisconsin Granite Design LLC, 6720 S. 27th St., Oak Creek, $1,998,600, First Savings Bank; OZAUKEE COUNTY
Riversedge Bartholomew LLC, 283 Riveredge Drive, Saukville,
$385,000, Byline Bank;
507 S. Wisconsin Drive, Howards Grove, $200,000, Cleveland State Bank;
RACINE COUNTY
Pave Tech Inc., 8624-26 Hollander Drive, Franksville, $300,000, U.S. Bank;
Integrated Manufacturing Services Inc., W8988 County Highway T, Glenbeulah, $438,000, WBD Inc.;
Pave Tech Inc., 8624-26 Hollander Drive, Franksville, $988,000, U.S. Bank; Sawfish General Contracting LLC, 4144 Northwest Highway, Waterford, $80,000, Community State Bank; Tru-Tool Inc, 14100 Leetsbir Road, Sturtevant, $75,000, Community State Bank; SHEBOYGAN COUNTY
Andersons Greenview Tree Farm LLC, 4266 County Highway D, Cedar Grove, $350,000, Oostburg State Bank; Belleview Real Estate LLC, 284 S. Lake St., Elkhart Lake, $1,915,000, Cleveland State Bank; Freund Agricultural Resource Management,
Millennium Technologies LLC, 1404 Pilgrim Road, Plymouth, $510,000, Commerce State Bank; WALWORTH COUNTY
Clear Water Outdoor LLC, 744 W. Main St., Lake Geneva, $250,000, Signature Bank; Dave Manthey Trucking, 8382 N. Hillburn Mill Road, East Troy, $41,300, Citizens Bank; WASHINGTON COUNTY
PACE Property Management LLC, N112 W19125 Mequon Road, Germantown, $727,800, Commerce State Bank;
WAUKESHA COUNTY
Bright Holdings LLC, 3700 Hillside Drive, Unit 10, Delafield, $242,000, WBD Inc.; Hearing Focused LLC, S64 W13838 Janesville Road, Muskego, $90,000, U.S. Bank; JLF Real Estate LLC, 1006 Main St., Mukwonago, $803,000, WBD Inc.; Krieser Family Chiropractic LLC, W329 N4362 Lakeland Drive, Nashotah, $50,000, First Bank Financial Centre; Lovejoy Controls Corp., N30 W22377 Green Road, Suite E, Waukesha, $160,000, Waukesha State Bank; Mallory Mukwonago TC LLC, 727 E. Veterans Way, Mukwonago, $807,000, WBD Inc.; Stein’s Aircraft Services LLC, 2651 Aviation Drive, Waukesha, $150,000, Summit Credit Union.
You are cordially invited to attend
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
AND DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE
HIGHER GROUND...
A love story
that knew no limits
SAVE THE DATE! — November 15, 2019 —
Please join us for an unforgettable evening of inspiration and possibilities. Special Guest: Richard Wold, Multi-platinum songwriter and performer Emcee: Molly Fay, TODAY’S TMJ4 host of The Morning Blend
Sponsors:
September 19, 2019 | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
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Exhibit Sponsor:
COUSTECH S U P PLY
I N C.
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The Wisconsin Club | 900 W. Wisconsin Ave. | Milwaukee
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BizConnections VOLUME 25, NUMBER 11 | SEP 2, 2019
GLANCE AT YESTERYEAR
126 N. Jefferson St., Suite 403, Milwaukee, WI 53202-6120 PHONE: 414-277-8181 FAX: 414-277-8191 WEBSITE: www.biztimes.com CIRCULATION: 414-336-7100 | circulation@biztimes.com ADVERTISING: 414-336-7112 | advertising@biztimes.com EDITORIAL: 414-336-7120 | andrew.weiland@biztimes.com REPRINTS: 414-336-7100 | reprints@biztimes.com PUBLISHER / OWNER Dan Meyer dan.meyer@biztimes.com
SALES & MARKETING
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS Mary Ernst mary.ernst@biztimes.com
EDITORIAL EDITOR Andrew Weiland andrew.weiland@biztimes.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Lauren Anderson lauren.anderson@biztimes.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Arthur Thomas arthur.thomas@biztimes.com REPORTER Maredithe Meyer maredithe.meyer@biztimes.com REPORTER Alex Zank alex.zank@biztimes.com
DIRECTOR OF SALES Linda Crawford linda.crawford@biztimes.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Paddy Kieckhefer paddy.kieckhefer@biztimes.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Molly Lawrence molly.lawrence@biztimes.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Maggie Pinnt maggie.pinnt@biztimes.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Christie Ubl christie.ubl@biztimes.com SALES INTERN Tess Romans tess.romans@biztimes.com
ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR Sue Herzog sue.herzog@biztimes.com
INTERN REPORTER Marla Hiller marla.hiller@biztimes.com
PRODUCTION & DESIGN
From Milwaukee to the moon
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alex Schneider alex.schneider@biztimes.com
Astronautics Corp. engineers Robert Seinfeld and David Peterson perform fuel management calculations for an orbital rendezvous and a lunar trajectory. The company’s first program in 1959 was for the U.S. Air Force and NASA. Astronautics engineers eventually worked on the Apollo program, specifically fuel calculations for reentry into earth’s atmosphere.
ART DIRECTOR Shelly Tabor shelly.tabor@biztimes.com
— This photo was contributed by Astronautics Corp.
COMMENTARY
Save the Domes THERE ARE A LOT of exciting things happening in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin lately. 2020 is shaping up to be a huge year for the city and region. Milwaukee will host its biggest event ever, the Democratic National Convention. The Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits will also be a big deal for the region. Both of those events will provide a massive economic impact and will showcase Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin to the world. In addition, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s restoration of the Warner Grand Theatre will be completed in 2020. The MSO is raising $139 million for the project and its endowment. The revitalization of the 88-yearold building will provide a spectacular new venue for the MSO and will further enhance the cultural offerings for Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin. This stuff matters, big time. Tourism is vitally important for the region’s economy. And cultural amenities like the MSO’s concert hall are vital 40 / BizTimes Milwaukee SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
to help our region attract and retain talent. In order for our area businesses to grow, and our region’s economy to produce new companies, southeastern Wisconsin needs to be able to attract the best and the brightest talent. Talented people can live anywhere. Why will they want to live here? We need to provide a high quality of life to convince them to do so. Meanwhile, another important quality of life project for Milwaukee is taking shape, and hopefully it moves forward. The Mitchell Park Domes, an iconic landmark in Milwaukee but an underappreciated asset by many who live in the area, are literally crumbling. Three years ago, the Domes were closed after a chunk of concrete fell from one of the structures. Repairs were made and the Domes reopened, but a long-range permanent solution is needed. Many of Milwaukee’s most iconic cultural institutions were built during the 1950s and ‘60s and are in need of major upgrades to last for the next generation. The Domes were completed in 1967. A new plan to save the Domes is promising but costly. The $66 million plan calls for a mix of public and private funding and it calls for improvements that will make the Domes more
Independent & Locally Owned — Founded 1995 —
attractive and more viable. The plan’s recommendations include a restaurant, a new events pavilion, outdoor and indoor food service, an improved amphitheater and outdoor and indoor gardens. This is just what the doctor ordered for the Domes. Public-private partnerships are the best way to maintain parks like this and make them more attractive. Instead of the Domes being just a nice place to see some plants and flowers, they need to become a more attractive destination for events like weddings and receptions. That requires better facilities and food and drink offerings. And, a possible partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin could help bring in valuable research grant funding. Hopefully the County Board and private donors get behind this plan to transform the Domes into a top attraction for the area. n
ANDREW WEILAND EDITOR
P / 414-336-7120 E / andrew.weiland@biztimes.com T / @AndrewWeiland
AROUND TOWN
COSBE 29th Annual Golf Outing MMAC recently held its 29th annual COSBE Executive Roundtable Golf Outing at the Wisconsin Club Country Club.
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1. RUSS BARCELONA of Ascend Talent Strategies, JOE MROZINSKI of NextGear Capital, NICK MIOTA of Southgate Leasing and WARD ALLES of Core Creative. 2. DEAN CIMPL of Precision Rail & Mfg., Inc., JIM SCHLATER of Secure Fire & Safety LLC, MARK SOBCZAK of Sikich and BRAD NETZEL of Sikich.
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3. DICK HENSLEY of National Exchange Bank & Trust, ERIC BERTHELSEN of Newport Network Solutions Inc., ERIC WENTZ of Better By Design and SHAWN GOVERN of DeWitt LLP. 4. SHANE BLACKMAN of Good Karma BrandsESPN Milwaukee, CORY SLOTTERBACK of Sherwin Williams, SCOTT HEBERLEIN of Mortenson Construction and BEN JUECH of Coakley Brothers/Brothers Business Interiors.
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5. JAY GENTLE of WorkWise, LINDA CRAWFORD of BizTimes Milwaukee, DREW BARYENBRUCH of Real Time Automation and JEFF STIEFVATER of Real Time Automation.
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6. JON TERAOKA of W.I.S. Logistics, PAUL HAISLMAIER of TRC Global Mobility, STEVE POLLOCK of MGROUP Holdings and MARK GROSSKOPF of New Resources Consulting. Photos courtesy MMAC
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St. Ann Center gala St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care recently hosted its 15th annual gala at Discovery World. 7. SARA LAFRENZ and DANIEL LAFRENZ of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP.
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8. NICHOLAS PUSCHNIG of Standard Electric Supply Co. and SAMANTHA OCHOA of My Choice Family Care. 9. JEREMY MOORE of the Milwaukee Public Museum and KRISTEN KRIEGBAUM of Paycom. 10. SHARON THACKER and GLORIA MILLER. 11. NICOLE ZIGNEGO of Rock Snowpark and JESSICA LENAHAN of Quarles & Brady LLP. 12. NEIL BHATIA, CARMEN HAAK and TAYLOR HAWKS, of Paycom.
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13. JIM BOEHM, JOANNE RICHARDS and TERRI BILL. Photos by Lauren Anderson biztimes.com / 41
BizConnections
my TOUGHEST
BR ANDON RULE
Challenge
Position: President Company: Rule Enterprises LLC What it does: Commercial real estate development Career: Brandon Rule completed Marquette University’s Associates in Commercial Real Estate (ACRE) program in 2010. Following graduation, he worked in personal banking for PNC Bank, and continued to pursue real estate research and networking outside of work. In 2015, he began planning an affordable housing development in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood. In July 2019, SEVEN04 Place – a 60-unit affordable apartment building, developed by Rule Enterprises LLC and Impact Seven – opened its doors. Now, Rule has more projects in the works, including another affordable housing development in Walker’s Point, and developments in Madison and Washington, D.C.
THE CHALLENGE “The biggest challenge was access to capital. I face it even now on current projects I’m developing, but specifically for SEVEN04, being able to find the capital to get it under site control, that was a huge barrier for me. Even though I had the thought and wherewithal to develop a project … being able to find $25,000 to get a site under contract was a significant hurdle I had to overcome. This project was close to $350,000 in pre-development expenses prior to closing.” “It was that much more difficult, being young, black and new, attracting pre-development dollars, even for something as mission-based as this was – providing quality affordable housing options in the neighborhood, giving people who are facing homelessness a place to live.”
THE RESOLUTION “I had to truly pound the pavement and convince people of the mission and show the value and how it would be executed … It was leveraging resources, twisting arms, pounding the pavement and identifying people who believed in the vision enough to give me a personal loan. They weren’t friends, they weren’t family, they were business acquaintances that I had to create enough value and pay a premium on the returns through the developer fee I was projecting.” “I had a few local (community development financial institutions) support the project. LISC provided a recoverable grant of just shy of $30,000. Forward Community Investments gave me a pre-development grant to the tune of $50,000.”
LILA ARYAN PHOTOGRAPHY
THE TAKEAWAY
42 / BizTimes Milwaukee SEPTEMBER 2, 2019
“The No. 1 lesson is perseverance. That’s my favorite word. When you have a sense of perseverance, you can accomplish pretty much anything you put your mind to. But in terms of business lessons, I learned that it will be more challenging for a newer minority developer, and that’s just a fact. The process of development is extremely difficult and to have to deal with additional pressure of pre-development expenses and access to capital, this makes it nearly impossible to penetrate – which makes sense how few African Americans and developers of color you see across the country.” “There are great deals that can be done with simply an injection of capital. These deals are extremely meaningful and they provide very favorable returns to all parties involved. I really want to empower the people that have access to capital and show them by taking a chance, you do still get the returns that you would get from any other type of project.” n
Last Call for Nominations!
PRESENTS:
Nominate Today!
2019 2019 Awards Categories Corporate Citizenship Awards CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP BizTimes Media presents the sixth annual awards program to salute southeastern Wisconsin’s best corporate citizens and most effective nonprofit organizations.
• Corporate Citizen of the Year • Next Generation Leadership • In-Kind Supporter • Corporate Volunteer of the Year • Lifetime Achievement
The awards will shine a light on excellence in philanthropy and nonprofit leadership. The recipients of the awards will be saluted at a breakfast program on November 1st, 2019.
Nonprofit Organizations, Leadership & Support Team Awards
Nominate the people and for-profit organizations who are making a positive difference in the community by donating their time, talent and treasure. Nominate the nonprofit organizations that are making the region a better place to live, work and play. Self-nominations also are encouraged!
• Nonprofit Executive of the Year
• Nonprofit organization of the year (Small & Large Categories) • Nonprofit Collaboration of the year award • Social Enterprise
Submit your nomination at biztimes.com/npawards PLATINUM SPONSOR:
Nomination deadline: September 6, 2019 Event date: November 1, 2019
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